Richie Havens

Richie Havens was very personable, mellow, and you could feel his aura of greatness. He played our requests even after he left the stage for the first time. I expect to see Richie Havens again and have personal dealings with him, he is that friendly. It was great to see him at such a small setting as the Flagler auditorium. Good times.

I've admired Richie Havens unique style of guitar playing since I was a kid. It was great to finally see him play live after all these years. The Capitol Theatre in Clearwater is an intimate concert hall that seats less than 500 people and has a wonderful staff. Richie is still an amazing artist after all these years. Aside from his own outstanding material, I've always enjoyed his original arrangements of other artists work. He also told stories about when him and his contemporaries such as Bob Dylan were starting out in Greenwich Village which were after all part of our music history.

Very disappointing. Richie Havens is a legend but he has really past it and should retire. He was only on stage for just over an hour, during which time he played 5 songs interspersed with long rambling monologues which made no sense at all. The songs he did play were old favorites and pleased the crowd, but were not worth the price of the ticket.

In addition to an amazing performance, Richie Havens spent time after the show signing autographs and taking pictures. It was a short set, but the personal apperance after the show more than made up for it. Great venue, very personal. So glad I got to see this show.

Get rid of the electric guitar!! It completely domininated the sound, making it almost impossible to hear Richie's singing. Richie doesn't need anyone to accompany him...he is wonderful solo!! Sound system management poor, Richie is soft-spoken and could hardly hear what he was saying to the audience. He is one of my favorites and I had really been looking forward to this concert........to my dismay, I didn't enjoy it at all, due to the overpowering electric guitar and poor sound system. My wife's reaction was the same!!

He took me back to the sixties. It was a wonderful show, missing only his old Bob Dylan covers - his versions of All Along the Watchtower and Tastes Like a Woman are unique. His voice and unmistakable guitar strum are intact and so is his sense of humor. I hope he comes back every year.

I really hoped that Richie was sick with the flu this night I last saw him, and that was the reason the set-list was only 5 or 6 songs. Reading the reviewer from Gainesville also, I realize this is not an isolated incident. I've seen Richie three other times in Florida, and his performances each time would inspire awe !! I saw him at Indian River Festival in 1992, Clearwater Ruth Eckerd Hall in 1996, and again in Clearwater Coachman Park at a free jazz festival in 1998ish? Each time his stories were thought-provoking, and relevant. On this particular Jan. night in Florida however, it had been super cold, and I really assumed he had just been sick, but performed anyway. Later that week was Richie's 69th birthday, and I just thought how lucky I was to see a living legend ! He has definetly lost a step, but what a gracious man to sign each and every thing people brought him ! I realize also now, that he spent more time after the show autographing, than performing. Richie Havens to me will always be a very generous, respected & entertaining performer.

havens played for less than an hour - forgot the words to every song he played - which wasn't more than 5 or 6 anyway - spoke incoherently between the songs he did play and struck me as being either very ill or way past performing a concert by himself - as long times fans this event was as much sad as overwhelmingly dissapointing

Hard to believe this wonderful, humble entertainer is still as incredible as he was 40 years ago. The Squitieri Studio Theater was a perfect venue for an intimate evening of terrific music.

Richie Havens is still the real deal after all these years. Brilliant, warm, funny, dynamic, and inspiring. He sings & plays guitar with amazing energy. The audience was spellbound. His partner on stage is wonderful as well. A great evening! AND after the concert he took the time to sit and sign autographs, and meet with and chat with each audience member as if they were old friends. Bravo!

I was looking forward to this concert for months. In some ways Richie did not disappoint me. His voice was great. His guitar playing was awesome. He seemed to be into the crowd. However, the incoherent babbling between songs was too much to try to decipher and the shortage of songs was disappointing. I would have loved to listen to his stories if he had played more. A one hour show with 30 minutes of gibberish is not worth it.

I was honored to be able to see Mr Havens and would have paid the ticket price just to see him walk on stage. He is a kind and gentle soul and a seasoned performer and a symbol of our folk music history, the Woodstock symbolism aside. However, his performance was somewhat disjointed and haphazardly executed. There were vague bridges that seems hesitant and confusing between pieces and his back up guitarist was obviously struggling to follow, although he was a skilled and competent "picker" in his own right. There were some missteps and he acknowledged at least one of them. He did not seem well prepared for the set. Mr Havens still plays in the same pseudo-slide way he always has, frenetically strumming a guitar pretuned in an E level chord to avoid complicated chord changes. All the songs performed were familiar covers. Some were done to completion, some a melange with other fragments. I believe we all were glad to see and hear him and be a part of a wonderful benefit, but I was not "moved" aside from that; there was nothing exciting or new or original here, which is fine for those who expected nothing different from 1970, so from that aspect, I suppose I should not complain. The opening performer, Gove Scrivener, was his usual wonderful self with his amazing auto harp instrumentals as much as his vocals with guitar. Wish we had more of him, as al;ways. He is unappreciated outside our relative small folk-circuit.

I guess I expected to see Richie's 1960s-1970s fervor, passion and energy as I had close up in concert in 1967...instead, now older and wiser, I saw a "muser" whose life philosophy had become much simpler and almost defeated. He has found his peace, but he has left a gang of us behind who live for the day of revival and truth. His energy and zeal for justice and truth and the common good are his legacies in us today. Thanks for the trip, Richie! It was almost a journey. Were it not for his accompanist, Richie's concert would have taken a huge nose dive, in my opinion.

Richie Havens gave an excellent performance. His set list was incredible. I've never seen anyone get more sound out of a guitar. Besides his playing, he told interesting stories between each song. After the concert ended, he was in the lobby meeting with fans.

Richie Havens is certainly young enough to qualify to play next years half time show at the Superbowl. At 69 years old it is amazing to watch his right hand blur as he strums his guitar. How can he not have carpal tunnel syndrome after all these years. One could only guess how many times he has flicked that wrist during 60 plus years of performing. His peaceful demeanor, stories and his wonderful interpretations were a joy to experience. The Gamble Rogers Festival being moved to a venue like the auditorium was a great decision.

This was the first time we'd seen Havens, and also the first time that we'd been to the Capitol Theatre. The acoustics were awesome. Very intimate theatre. Not a bad seat in the house. Richie is such a talent. His voice & guitar playing was truly beautiful. The guitarist accompanying him was outstanding as well. Loved the song that the guitarist played at the end of the concert. Thank you for a wonderful evening. We really enjoyed the show.

Richie Havens was in voice, and he had a super backup guitarist onstage w/him, but he tended to go into rambling monologues that had no point to them,between many of his ( too limited ) numbers. I think his age might be showing, and he was resting between the energeticly played numbers. He might just have lost his way during a few of the long -almost rambling monologues, and they often went nowhere. He's still Richie though, and his voice and playing were as remembered, and-what we paid to see. All in all-it was worth the $ and effort, and we'd probably go again if he came back to the area. By the way-the venue was super, but they make a mistake to admit latecomers during the performance-no matter how late ,or what's going on on the stage, and they allow the audience to take food and beverages into the area, which is inconsiderate to the rest of the audience.

the show was great,Seen him several times and every time the man is consitent.. He aen' lost a drop of his ability to move an audience.. Still has his heart and songs on the pulse of the wrld. Will see hem evry time he is in town. He is still >the man" hesings his heart.. dont ever stop Richie...

Richie Havens plays a guitar like he was born with it attached to his body. He rocks the room with chords and rifts long forgotten and lost to more mortal artists. His voice has a gentle reassurance to it, a velvet texture crying to the audience to listen. All of this combined with his humor and telling us to listen to the young people now. I came away saying still and again.....more.

Richie is great as always...this is the second time I have seen him. He does a lot of storytelling during his concerts and sometimes he is difficult to follow. It is nice that he always stays after concert to sign autographs but unfortunately he does a LOT of chatting with people so you can wait on line for hours. I guess it is nice for people who actually get up to him, but for others waiting in line it is frustrating. This is the second time I have waiting for almost an hour and still never got autograph.

About 400 people (sold out) in the Event Gallery of the Woodstock Museum at Bethel Woods, a beautiful venue but hardly the grundgy coffeehouse atmosphere that I associate with Richie Havens. Richie played a lot of his more recent music and only a few of the old favorites including only a partial version of Freedom. When he tried to respond to a request from the audience he could only get through the first two lines as he couldn't remember all the lyrics. Still, was wonderful watching a legend.

How could anyone top seeing RIchie Havens at the site of the original Woodstock Music and Art Festival...40 years later! I saw him then, and to see him again was amazing. He is such a gentle soul, and his guitar playing and singing haven't lost a thing in 40 years. Not only did he perform for 90 minutes, he spent another two hours signing CDs, hats, tees, tix, whatever...and talking, hugging, hand-shaking with everyone who attended the concert at Bethel Woods. AMAZING!!

Beautiful man. Great show. He sang and played wonderfully.